Steven Tyler On American Idols Paying Their Dues

01/18/2011.

(hennemusic) Aerosmith's Steven Tyler was front and center on The Late Show with David Letterman Monday night, as he continues his press rounds to promote the new season of American Idol, which kicks off Wednesday.

As for the Idol process and tv "contests" to gain national attention, Tyler said he prefers the old way of paying dues. "Y'know, we [Aerosmith] had to play every state in America in 3 years. By '74, we'd played it three times around.

"And I always thought that to become an American Idol, or any kind of Idol, you have to pay your dues. But, y'know, today's a different world, and they're out there – it's just that we had to pick through 120,000 to find these 20 – so, I think we're doing alright." more here including video